I'm Lichen What I'm Seeing
Jaden S.
Sculpture: airdry clay, watercolor, twigs & lichen
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For this project I sculpted a human head with lichen growing out of it to explore the relationship between humanity and nature. Lichen are a symbiotic organism composed of fungi and algae growing together, and I wanted to show that the relationship between humans and nature can also be symbiotic and harmonious. Lichens are also indicators of good air quality wherever they are growing, and I want this piece to also reflect the hope for healthy and happy communities. At the same time, the image of a monument of humanity being overtaken by nature also suggests the darker message that even after humanity has destroyed itself, life and nature will continue to persist long after us. After a mass extinction, lichen are the first living organisms to appear and begin the cycle that allows an ecosystem to form.
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To me, creativity means to put your own unique spin on everything you do or make, to come up with your own ideas and subvert existing ones, to make your visions real, to make the world a more interesting place than it would have been if you hadn't been there.
